the beginning of us
by Sybil Marvin
Summary: Ichigo and Orihime's first date was nothing like what they expected. How did it started? How did it end? What will happen afterwards?


**Author's Note:** This story was based on my personal experience. I always viewed IchiHime love as sweet, awkward, and full of innocence and this is what I try to portray in this story. To those who read this, enjoy!! XD

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach.

* * *

Her friends told her that a first date should be either:

a) exciting, or

b) romantic, or

c) mysterious, or

d) memorable,or

e) all of the above

But hers was nothing like that.

Then, they had a heated discussion over what they would call as a "_perfect date_".

Tatsuki-chan crossed her arms together and told her that the perfect date would mean a pair of tickets to a boxing match. For Ryou-san however, only a date at the library or the museum where intelligent discussions can take place, can be considered as a perfect date. Mahana-san scoffed at this idea, calling it boring and insisted that a night spent at a rock concert is as perfect as a date would be. Then Michiru-chan said that a day out shopping for teddy bears with the guy of your dream is the perfect date. And for Chizuru-chan, well, a perfect date could only mean an outing with a very hot girl.

And of course, hers was nothing like that.

She did go out with her dream guy, much to Chizuru-chan's disappointment, but the date wasn't exciting or romantic, nor was it mysterious or memorable. He didn't invite her to a boxing match, he didn't initiate a discussion over Shakespeare at the library or the museum, he didn't take her to a concert, nor did he shop all day with her for an oversized teddy bear.

Still, the date was very special to her.

* * * * *

The school bell rang only five minutes earlier but the classroom were nearly empty, save for a few of students who didn't feel the need to risk get knocked over by their classmates in their frantic rush of getting away from school.

Inoue Orihime was one of the few who was left, but for a completely different reason.

She simply had been daydreaming when the school bell rang, and the sound shocked her badly that she almost fell out of her chair. That was when she realized that her books were all scattered on her table. She scrambled them together frantically, and noticing her classmates basically sort of _disappeared_ out of the classroom, she quickly shoved the books into her school bag. Preoccupied, she didn't notice the footsteps behind her and when she felt a tap on her shoulder, she almost dropped her books.

She turned around to face a smirking Arisawa Tatsuki. The girl with the spiky black hair was obviously happy about something but Orihime couldn't place what would make her smiling like that.

"What is it, Tatsuki-chan?"

The answer that Orihime got was a small piece of paper, shoved into her hand.

"Eh?"

"Ichigo said he'll pick you up at seven."

"Tatsuki-chan, what ~"

"I'll stop by at your apartment after I finish my training!"

With that, Tatsuki left Orihime who stood alone in the classroom, gaping at the movie ticket in her hand, confused.

* * * * *

On his very first date, Kurosaki Ichigo was late. The truth was, he had been ready way before seven o'clock. But he didn't want to seem too eager for the date. He'd simply put on his jeans and his favorite t-shirt. After some thought, he rubbed some gel into his messy orange hair, trying to make it more, well, presentable. But he gave up when the effort only made him look weird. And to his sisters' amusement, he sprayed some cologne. By 6.30, he was ready.

Then, Ichigo went to the living room.

At 6.35, he suddenly became restless and started checking his watch every few seconds.

At 6.40, he began to click randomly on the remote control, changing channels without any intention to watch the television.

At 6.45, he began to tap his foot impatiently on the floor.

At 6.50, he stood up and started pacing back and forth around the room.

As soon as the clock struck seven, he became more agitated and to Karin's annoyance, his pacing speed increased. Finally losing it, she tossed aside her mange, got up and shoved her brother out into the driveway, shouting, "Have fun!"

Ichigo grunted. Karin can be annoying sometimes. He shoved his hands into his jeans and smacked his head when he realized he'd left his wallet. He was about to knock the door when it suddenly opened and his father burst out.

"Ichigo!! Your lovely father to the rescue!"

The bearded man handed out a black wallet, his face seemed to be flushed with excitement. "I put in some extra money in there."

"Thanks, Dad."

Then, leaning in towards Ichigo, Kurosaki Isshin whispered in his son's ears, "I even put in a packet of condom in case you want to have s~"

Ichigo's fist landed on the older man's face. "SHUT UP!!"

Isshin got up as quickly as he fell. Wiping dirts from his white coat, he simply stated, "Well, I wouldn't want to have grandchildren at this age."

Eyebrow twitched, Ichigo shouted angrily, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING? IT'S ONLY A DATE! A DATE, DAMN IT!!"

Isshin's tears suddenly flowed out, "You shouldn't talk to your old man like that. You hurt my feelings…"

Ichigo let out a sigh. He really wasn't in the mood for his father antics. "I'm going."

With that, the substitute shinigami walked away, leaving his crying father whose tears were quickly replaced by a huge grin. "Have fun! I await good news from you!" he said as he waved his hands.

"Whatever."

Still smiling, Isshin headed back into the house, all the while muttering something like, "_Masaki, our son's grown up_", "_There's still hope for grandchildren to carry on the Kurosaki's name_" and "_I'm so relieved Ichigo's not gay"._

* * * * *

Inoue Orihime had been ready thirty minutes before seven. Tatsuki-chan had bolted out of her apartment fifteen minutes earlier, claiming that Ichigo wouldn't be happy if he saw her there.

She had been spacing out more than usual, all evening. She was very excited about the date, but she was totally inexperienced, so she couldn't decide on what to wear, how to do her hair, and more importantly, she couldn't think of what to say to Ichigo later.

She was really glad to have Tatsuki-chan by her side, since she was rather, insightful. She was the one to decide that she should wear her favorite knee-length white dress. Orihime refused first, since the fabric of the dress was thin and she'd heard it can be really cold at the cinema, but when she wanted to grab her jacket, Tatsuki-chan slapped her hand.

"You need to highlight your assets on your first date. Besides, it would give Ichigo an excuse to wrap his jacket around you when he sees you're cold."

"Oh."

Tatsuki-chan also told her to keep her hair down, and she agreed. She loved her hair and she was proud of it since she always considered it as an indication of her relationship with Tatsuki-chan.

Then, she had waited anxiously for Ichigo, constantly asking for the time from Tatsuki-chan.

Exactly fifteen minutes after seven, there was a knock on her door.

* * * * *

Hand shaking nervously, Kurosaki Ichigo knocked on the door to Orihime's door. He felt his heartbeat sped up with every steps he heard, coming from the other side of the door. Then the door was swung open and he felt his breath caught in his throat.

The opened door revealed an angel. An angel who was stupid enough to date someone like him.

She was wearing a simple, plain white dress, but anything would look good on her. Ichigo was sure that she could put on a rag and would still made it look sexy. She let her hair loose and they were flowing softly behind her. Her blue hairpins secure the stubborn strands of hair from getting into her eyes. She wore no makeup, not that she needed any, since she was blessed with a porcelain white skin. He did noticed that she applied a thin layer of lip gloss, enhancing her already pink and plump lips, making them look more kissable. _Wait, what~?_

"Kurosaki-kun!" she chirped, a huge grin formed on those lips that he were so fixated with earlier.

"Hey." He wanted to tell her that she looked really breathtakingly beautiful, but instead he simply said, "Let's go."

That was how their first date started.

* * * * *

Inoue Orihime was one of the few rare human beings who could always find something amusing out of the most unusual circumstances. She found things that others considered weird as something interesting. That was the reason why she could simply laugh things off, and stayed happy most of the times. But for the first time in her life, she found herself feeling bored.

It wasn't the company. She was grateful that she was finally able to go out with Ichigo. It was almost a dream come true. But she had been worried all night and she couldn't think of anything interesting to say. She tried to concentrate on the movies played but she failed. Ichigo was sitting really close to her and she could smell his husky, manly scent. It was distracting. It made her heady and she felt like her brain stopped functioning.

She glanced over at the scowling boy next to her, and almost laughed when she noticed his brows furrowed deeper than they usually does. His lips were set into a thin line, making him looked like he was really angry. _Kurosaki-kun's face looks so funny…_

He grunted and shifted in his seat. Startled, Orihime almost jumped out her of her seat, her heart drumming frantically inside her chest. _What if he noticed me watching him?_

Feeling her face heated up, Orihime tried to steal another glance at Ichigo's face and seeing his same dead expression, she relaxed. She couldn't risk Ichigo finding out she had been fascinated by his features. Then she noticed the way Ichigo slumped uncomfortably and his knees were touching the back of the chair in front of him. _Poor Kurosaki-kun, he's so tall that it's hard for him to sit in cramped places like the cinema. Wait, what if the aliens want to kidnap Kurosaki-kun and cut his legs then stitch them onto their bodies since they are really short?_

"Whoa!! Not his legs! Don't cut off his legs!"

"What?"

Face flushed, suddenly realizing she'd blurted out something stupid, Orihime merely shook her head. Confusion flashed across Ichigo's face, then replaced with a look of concern. "Are you cold?"

Orihime shook his head again.

Ichigo's eyes searched hers for a moment, "If you're feeling cold, let me know." Then, the corner of his lips curled upward, forming a small smile. "It's a great movie," he said, and slumped back in his seat.

Orihime let out a small sigh. She wasn't feeling cold, but she was hungry. She had hoped that Ichigo would ask her to stop by a restaurant and grab something to eat but instead he took her straight to the cinema. She had wanted to buy popcorns earlier but she stopped herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious about eating in front of Ichigo.

She glanced yet again at Ichigo. He appeared to be completely engrossed in the movie. She let out another small sigh. _Why did he invite me to the movie anyway?_ She'd heard from her friends that if a guy was attracted to a girl, they're going to try to grab the girl's hand halfway through the movie. She shifted her glance to her hand, the one that was gripping the armrest next to Ichigo's. _His hand was so close. He only needed to move his hand a few centimeters but why, oh why hasn't he done anything yet? The movie's nearing its end and he still hasn't tried to even touch my hand. Why would he want to go on a date with me if he's not going to do anything?_

Suddenly feeling dizzy, Orihime leaned backward. Not a wise choice, since she found her head was dangerously close to Ichigo's shoulder. His broad, strong shoulder. _Hm.. How would it feel like to have my head on his shoulder…?_ Slowly, she leaned her head closer towards Ichigo's shoulder.

_Closer… Closer… _

* * * * *

Ichigo let out an exasperated laugh. He wasn't lying when he told Orihime it was a great movie. But he was far from enjoying it. He was worried earlier that he'd picked a horrible movie to watch on their first date.

He'd wanted to buy tickets to a horror movie but decided against it. They'd both met too many hollows, and even arrancars that no horror movies could scare them. And he wouldn't be caught dead watching romance movies with a girl, even if the girl was very special to him. And he was too old for cartoons. In the end, he'd bought a pair of tickets for a kung fu movie.

Yes, the movie was great. But, it was hard to focus on the movie playing before him when his senses were too aware of how close Orihime to him. Her hand was too close to his, he only needed to move his hand a little and he would be able to hold hers.

_Move... Move... Just a little bit..., and I would be able to hold her hand... Just... No! What if she pulled her hand back? Even worse, what if she screams? No..._

Ichigo looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her head was so close to him, close to the point of almost resting on his shoulder. So close now that he could smell the shampoo on her hair... _Hm... she smells like... strawberry..._ And deep in the dark, he blushed.

_It's almost like smelling me on her..._

_No! No!_

He tried to push his thoughts away. He refused to think of Orihime that way. He had come to realize that he liked her, but more than anything, he respected her for who she was. And to think of her physical attributes as he'd done more and more often lately, well, somehow it seemed too disrespectful to him.

She was beautiful, even a blind person would know that, but what he liked about her was beyond that. She was the most kind-hearted person he ever knew, always putting others' interests before hers. She was intelligent, though most of the times she did not appear to be one, and most importantly, she saw, respected, and accepted people just the way they are. She'd saw him turned into a monster, yet she still treated him the way she always did. She's an angel... _My angel..._

_But she was too distracting... Her looks... Her voice... Her smell... Her smiles... Her laughs... Her hair... Damn it!! _

And he wished that she would just lay her head on his shoulder. She was so close now that she only needed to move a few centimeters and her head would be resting comfortably on his shoulder, and then he would make his move...

* * * * *

That was how the hours passed, with the two of them wishing silently and simply waiting for the other to make the first move... And yet, nothing happened...

* * * * *

The movie had ended and they were on their way home. Orihime was frustrated. Her first date was really nothing like she had expected. She had been mostly silent all night, only saying a few words when asked. Ichigo had asked her if she was hungry and if she wanted to eat before she got home, but she declined the offer. She was feeling a small amount of anger building inside her. She was angry at herself, for being a coward, for not taking chances, and now she had wasted an opportunity to get closer to Ichigo.

_Why? Why am I such a coward?_

* * * * *

Ichigo watched in horror as the auburn-haired beauty in front of him walked straight into a street lamp.

"Hey!" he shouted, and grabbed her arms.

Shocked, she halted her steps. Then she blushed, bowed her head and muttered a "thank you". He released his grip on her arm and searched her face, suddenly feeling frustrated that he couldn't read her expression. She seemed a little off this evening. _Maybe it's my fault..._ Had he done something wrong?

Reluctantly, he released his hold on her arm and they started walking side by side.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Are you cold?"

She shook her head.

"You sure you don't want to eat first before going home?"

She shook her head again.

Ichigo sighed. Something really was off with her.

Rubbing his large hand on his messy orange hair, he asked, "Did you enjoy the movie?"

"Y-yes..."

"You sure?"

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Sure! I've even learned some amazing kung fu moves!" she chirped enthusiastically and even showed him her kung fu poses to assure him.

Amused, he let out a small laugh.

"I was worried that you didn't enjoy it."

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, you've been pretty quiet all night…"

"I just didn't know what to say."

"You didn't ask for anything to eat all night…"

"I wasn't hungry."

"And you're not feeling cold wearing that dress of yours?"

"I was too distracted to feel cold."

"Why didn't you just lay your head on my shoulder earlier?"

"I'm a girl. I'm not supposed to do that."

"Aha! So you wanted to then?"

She stopped, suddenly realizing she'd said her thoughts out loud.

"That's not fair! You tricked me!"

She blushed. Her fists curled nervously at the hem of her dress. She'd blurted something that she was supposed to keep to herself. _What's Kurosaki-kun going to think of me now?_

Kurosaki Ichigo cleared his throat. He tried to ignore the burning sensation on his face. His heart fluttered inside his chest. Now he knew that Orihime might actually have feelings for him. _This is it. It's now or never. Now that the cat's out of the bag, I might as well tell her how I feel…_

"Kurosaki-kun, do you like me?"

"Eh?" It's his turn to be surprised. He looked over at Orihime. She was looking up at him innocently.

"You see… Everyone told me that if a guy likes a girl, he's going to try and make a move like grabbing her hand at the movie. So when you asked me out to the movie, I was so happy cause I thought you might actually like me. But then you didn't even try to grab my hand, and I think it's because you were bored of me and it made me sad… And when I'm sad, I can't sleep. I really don't like staying awake at night cause it made me start hearing things and then I'd start to wonder if the aliens had come and~"

Smiling softly, Ichigo put his long finger on her lips to silence her.

His voice deep and husky, Ichigo said softly, "I didn't try to hold your hand not because I don't like you…"

Large gray eyes met with piercing brown ones.

"I was afraid that you would scream."

A small smile formed on her lips, "Silly, why would I do that?"

"Because I didn't know if you like me or not…"

"I wouldn't have screamed…"

"I didn't know…"

"Well, now you do."

"Know what? That you like me?"

"Mm… hmm…"

"Say it."

"No! You already know!"

"I want to hear you say it." A pause, "Please…?"

They were both standing by the roadside. Orihime was too aware of Ichigo's face looming above hers. He'd been leaning closer and closer… She felt like she was drowning. And his pleading… Oh, when he said 'please' with that low, husky voice of his…

"Please…?"

She inhaled deeply.

"I… I… I… like you…, Kurosaki-kun."

Red-faced, she looked down at her feet, too afraid to see Ichigo's face. Her heart now felt like they could burst out of her chest anytime.

He leaned even closer and reached out his hand, caressing her face. And then he whispered, "And I like you too, Inoue Orihime…"

Startled, her head shot up. There, under the street light, she saw the face of her dream guy, red like a strawberry, red like hers, and she smiled. The brightest smile she had ever smiled. Brighter than the sun. Warmer than the first ray of light that shone early in the morning.

Ichigo smiled back.

Hand rubbing the back of his head, he asked, "What now?"

"I'm hungry… Can we get something to eat first, Kurosaki-kun?"

Smile stretching wider, Ichigo grabbed Orihime's hand. "Sure."

* * * * *

_I promise to never let go of your hands…_

_I promise to never let go of you…_

_Promise me you'll never let go of my hands…_

_Promise me you'll never let go of me…_

_And let's live this life together…_

_Today marks the beginning of us…_

* * * * *

Sure, it was nothing exciting, nothing romantic, nothing mysterious, or memorable. Instead, the date was boring, silent, and disappointing. But for both of them, it was still special.

It didn't happen at the romantic surroundings of a library, or the boxing arena where it's full of adrenaline rush, nor did it happen during a rock concert, or at the mall where they were surrounded by cute, fluffy animals. Instead, they had simply blurted out their feelings by the road as he was walking her home, after a disappointing first date. But for both of them, it was still special.

_For it was the beginning… _


End file.
